EarthEcho Expeditions Virtual Field Trip: Into the Dead Zone
Summary
Join us and Dr. Sturdivant as we take a deep dive into the preeminent scourge of our ocean, dead zones. Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world's oceans and large lakes, caused by excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water.
Panelists
Kersey Sturdivant
Dr. Sturdivant is a marine ecologist who studies the effects of human disturbance on the seafloor and develops marine technology to enhance human understanding of the ocean. Dr. Sturdivant received his BS in Environmental Science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and obtained his Ph.D. in Marine Science at the College of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Following graduate school, he became the research coordinator of Cordell Bank National Sanctuary before moving to a faculty position at Duke University. In 2015, he helped start an environmental consulting company, INSPIRE Environmental, and transitioned his faculty position to adjunct. Presently he is a Principal Scientist at INSPIRE Environmental, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke University, Senior Correspondent at SouthernFriedScience.com, and co-creator of Oceanography for Everyone (open-source oceanographic equipment: http://oceanographyforeveryone.com). He also recently published an empirical book about Getting into Graduate School in the Sciences with Cambridge University Press (www.cambridge.org/9781107420670).
Classroom Resources
Into the Dead Zone: What Is A Dead Zone?
Dive into the Chesapeake Bay with Philippe Cousteau Jr. and scientists from the Oyster Recovery Partnership, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to explore a phenomenon that threatens our global oceans: dead zones.